May 1, 2016

Weekend bullets

I haven't really had much to say lately at all, so I haven't been writing. I've been having a good week! Just nothing exciting happening around here :)

Here are some bullets:

I still haven't decided on a goal for fall, and after talking to my therapist about it, I actually think I'm going to choose NOT to make a big goal for this fall. Because I always feel the need to be hyper-focused on something in order to stay on track with my eating and exercise, I haven't learned how to stay on track without setting a huge goal. This summer, I'd like to be content with where I am and how I am doing things. Maybe in the fall, I'll think of a spring goal to work on. (There is nothing wrong with having goals, of course; but I want to learn to be content even when I'm not actively working on a tough goal.)

I went for my first bike ride of the season last week, and it wasn't as fun as I'd hoped, unfortunately. It was super windy, which made it difficult; but also, the road commission repaved the roads around here last year, and they're awful. They used gravel and tar to form this really bumpy, rough surface. It's not even fun to run on, but biking is terrible. I'm super bummed.

Our new tankless water heater is working great--it's so nice to be able to shower and do dishes and laundry all at the same time, without running out of hot water ;) Jerry worked hard to put in the new floor, and he finished it up this morning. I was so excited to be able to do laundry! It's been piling up all weekend, because the washer and dryer were in the garage while we fixed the water heater problem. I'm so grateful for my brother--if not for Brian, we would have had to pay thousands for someone to come do the work he did.

Speaking of Brian, he recently flew a charter flight from NYC to Rome for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Regardless of what anyone thinks of Sanders, I think it's pretty cool that Brian was asked to pilot his plane. In Brian's words on Facebook: "Charter flight for Bernie. He and his family are very nice! If only being a "good guy" makes for a good president he'd have my vote. It's how we pay for "free college for everybody," "free health care for all," and "free HBO for the first year," that give me pause."

Brian is the second from the left

Lately, I've been working on a puzzle in the evenings, and while I'm doing that, I like to have a diet tonic with lime (bonus if it includes vodka, but I usually don't). I don't like to have to deal with fresh limes, so I've always used True Lime packets (the only ingredient is crystalized lime). I ran out of them a couple of days ago, so I apparently decided I never wanted to be in that situation again, because I ordered a 500-pack on Amazon. Haha! I'm set for at least a year. (In my defense, it's SO much cheaper to order it in bulk.)

Each packet is equivalent to the juice of one wedge (which means I now
have roughly the equivalent of 62 limes in my pantry).

I have been listening to a podcast recently that I really love. It's called Evil Sugar Radio, and the hosts are two guys who focus on debunking popular diet myths and promoting intuitive eating. Their viewpoint is exactly like mine--I eat whatever I want, just keeping my portions from getting out of hand--and it's refreshing to listen to. I get a lot of criticism for the way I eat, but it works well for me and I enjoy it. I never knew there was actual science behind it, but the hosts of the show get into that stuff. Anyway, it's super entertaining! (You'll like the podcast if you're an intuitive eater; but it will probably make you angry if you're into paleo. Just a fair warning.)

I recently finished the entire series of White Collar on Netflix in an embarrassingly short amount of time. What a great show!! I was hooked from the very first episode. It's about a man who breaks out of prison only to be caught by the FBI, and then he starts working for the FBI's White Collar division... all with his own agenda on the back burner. It's a drama, but kind of light-hearted. I love the characters on the show (and the actors who play them).

As soon as I finished White Collar, I started watching the series Prison Break for the second time. I loved that show, and after seeing this Facebook post by Wentworth Miller (main character on the show), I wanted to watch it again. I never would have guessed that Miller was going through severe depression, or that he used food to cope. It made me sad for him, but I could also relate on so many levels. Here is a short quote from his response to a meme that was posted about his weight gain:

After Ragnar SoCal in 2014, I decided to retire the overnight relays. However, Ragnar recently announced that they are doing a race in Michigan! It's in the northwest lower peninsula, and it takes place Sept. 30-Oct. 1, which is a GORGEOUS time of year to be there. (It ends in Traverse City, which is known for their wineries--Jerry and I went there in 2014 after a race in Cadillac.) My brother, Nathan, mentioned that he would really like to do it; and honestly, I kind of want to also, just because it's Michigan. So, it looks like Nathan and I are going to be co-captaining a Ragnar team this fall :)

19 comments:

1) I think your reasoning for not setting a new goal sounds smart! 2) The new road surface you described is called "chip and seal" and it's the worst! I hate it too. Just thought I'd commiserate. :) 3) I love White Collar too! I miss it. And, you did a great job summarizing it. Have a great week!

Great to hear that your brother and Jerry did such an awesome job on the house project. I love that your brother loves doing the races and such now. One day I hope to do a Ragnar in the future. I can't wait to hear about your adventure with this one! <3

I LOVE Evil Sugar Radio! Have been following them for years. They do promote the right message I think. But they also keep saying that they never said to eat sugar/processed foods only. Lots of people seem to take it that way and have been criticizing them for it.

Great blog, you will love your tankless heater! From experience be sure to check the tiny screen/filter occasionally! We didn't and kept getting an error message until we realized that was needed to be done!

Great blog today Katie! (As Always!) It was interesting how Wentworth Miller equates food to any other addiction. I sure know how that goes. Also interesting to read about Nathan's positive experience with Bernie, yet it did not sway his vote. I try never to talk about politics online, but even though Bernie's ideas sound good in theory, I'm like Nathan, and am really skeptical about how he would go about putting them all into practice. Anyhow, it's a great picture of the crew and Bernie's team! Finally, regarding your thoughts on setting goals and trying to function without having that BIG MAJOR goal to work towards. We all need to work on that in maintenance. I was a failure. Without the "high" of watching the scale numbers go down, I lost my way. I will be the first to admit, it is so very gratifying to see it going down again, and that sure helps motivate me. I will need to find a way to stay motivated on maintenance when I get back to goal. Thanks Katie for pointing this out.

Do you need anymore teammates for the Ragnar? I have wanted to do one, but never had the chance!! I did a relay race on the North Country Trail several years ago and it was a blast. I live near Grand Rapids and would love to run with you!!!😊

Hey there Laura! I will talk to my brother about it (it's half his team, too) but I'm certainly open to the idea of inviting some readers if we need more people. Send me an email so I don't forget to get back with you if I should need some runners!

Are you going to fill the team with any blog fans/runners? I would love to be considered...I have wanted to do a tagnar event ever since I started listening to the podcase, Another Mother Runner! Great post...totally love your honesty and the experience you bring to everyone on this journey!!

Hi Brandi! I haven't thought about it, actually--I've invited several friends, so I'm waiting to hear from them whether they are going to commit. But I'm certainly open to the idea of having some of my readers join--I'd have to talk to my brother about it, first, because it's his team, too ;) Send me an email, so I don't forget to get back with you if I should decide to fill out the team with some readers!

I'd love to hear from you! I read all of my comments, and if you have a question, I do my best to respond; sometimes, however, I get busy and forget to go back to reply, so if it's important, just email me! :) (I had to turn on comment moderation due to a ton of spam comments; but I will approve your comment asap!)

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